Catherine Mahon, First Women President of the INTO
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erme• First President of the INTO .... • ,,'R "' "" <LL em .... ::a: • ....... a " Prepared and Written by Sile Chuinneagain 10 NoT ~ O@ Serving Education An INTO Publication Irish National Teachers' Organization Cumann MUinteoiri Eireann 35 Pamell Square 35 Cearn6g Pharnell Dublin 1 Baile Atha Cliath 1 Telephone: 01-872-2533 Gu1Mn: 01-872-2533 Fax: 8722462 Fax: 8722462 Email: [email protected] Rlomhphost: [email protected] Web: http://www.into.ie Greasan: http://www.into.ie General Secretary Ard R.mai Senator Joe O'Toole An Seanad6ir Joe O'Toole INTO 1998 Introduction IV I Early Days 1 IT "A Preponderance of Women Teachers" 13 I, ill 23 I "Lady Principals' Representative" IV "A Most Energetic Member of the CEC" 49 V "No Martyr in the Cause of Cookery" 73 VI "Going Forward for the Vice-Presidency" 95 VII "This Rule Should not apply to any Woman Teacher" 115 VIII "We are all Proud of the President" 135 IX "And the Women the Same" 155 X "An Honoured Place in the Annals" 201 Conclusion 220 Bibliography 222 iFOREWORD A"'-atherine Mahon was elected as the first woman president of the INTO in 1912 and again in 1913. She was the only president to have q",,,,,,, served a second term since the rules governing elections were formed in the early 1900s. This INTO publication describes Catherine Mahon's involvement within the INTO during the years 1906-1920. Of the many women during the period who were committed activists Catherine was the most outstanding. Not only did she fight for equality issues such as equal pay and representation for women on the INTO Central Executive Committee, but she set the INTO on a course of expansion with her recruit ment drive, and led the INTO to affirm its position as an independent, rep resentative body. Her remarkable and courageous leadership during these years contributed enormously to the development and strength of the INTO. To this day we remain in her debt. The influence of the INTO today is a legacy of the commitment of visionaries such as Catherine Mahon. She represents a model in terms of participation finding time to involve herself in local politics as well as professional matters. The INTO wishes to acknowledge the help, cooperation and assistance of all those who contributed, in various ways, to compiling this book. The INTO would like to thank the following, in particular. Sue Chuinneagam, M.Ed. for the detailed research and adaptation of her thesis 'Women Teachers and I.N.T.O. Policy 1905-1916' for this publication. Sue teaches at st. Paul's JNS, Ayrfield, Dublin 13. The members of Dublin North East and Birr/Banagher INTO Branches for putting forward the motions at Congress 1996 which inspired the publi cation of this work about Catherine Mahon's life and her INTO involve ment. Michael Moroney, former INTO General Treasurer for his assistance in developing the project. Paddy Barry, Catherine Mahon's nephew who generously shared his memories of his aunt. Margaret Hogan who contributed material. Anthony Dargan, principal Carrig NS North TIpperary who also contributed pho tographs and material on Catherine Mahon. The staff of the following libraries: the National Library; the National Archives; Trinity College Library; Department of Education Library; Fianna Fail Archives; TIpperary North Family History Foundation and North Tipperary County Council. 11 } I , Thomas Ryan, Past-President RHA who was commissioned by the INTO I, to paint a portrait of Catherine Mahon which now hangs in the Catherine Mahon Room, Vere Foster House, 35 Parnell Square, and a photo of which was reproduced for the cover of this publication. The INTO policy team who were responsible for overseeing the final pro duction of the publication included Deirbhile Nic Craith, Veronica Cleary, ! Ruth Warren, Elaine Daly and Ursula Doyle. I Fraternally, I Senator Joe O'Toole i General Secretary March 1998 III iNTRODUCTION omen teachers, individually and collectively; have been instru mental in shaping the policy and direction of the INTO. Their Wcontributions to the development of the Organisation have, as yet, received little attention. Where there has been historical investigation it has emphasised the INTO's work for women rather than the benefits to the INTO of women's membership. In One Hundred Years of Progress; The Story of the INTO 1868 - 1968 T. J. O'Connell observed a marked "awakening of a new and more healthy spirit" among the rank and file of the INTO during the first twenty years of the century. O'Connell did not, however, acknowl edge the role of women teachers in this development. He fleetingly men tioned Catherine Mahon's "brilliant" leadership in 1913 but he did not assess her achievements although he described, in some detail, Mahon's dis agreement with INTO policy in 1920. Catherine Mahon, an idealist, was a principled, courageous fighter who was ready to take issue wherever she saw injustice, often at considerable cost to herself. She was a spirited public speaker, an effective, energetic lob byist who won the respect and admiration of her contemporaries. She was a keen nationalist and a lifelong supporter of the Irish language. Her pas sionate concern for a wide range of issues, as well as her sense of humour, are evident in the letters and speeches she wrote from her base in the small village of Carrig, North Tipperary. She is affectionately remembered by her nephew as a kind, gentle woman who was a support to his family when his father, a teacher, had to retire early due to illness and the family had to move from the teacher's residence. Mahon's own teaching career, if we include her time as a monitor, spanned fifty years. It is clear that Mahon was active in a multitude of organisations but this study is mainly confined to her INTO career. It does not explore the links between changes in Irish society and developments within the INTO. A good deal of relevant quotation from The Irish School Weekly has been incor porated to help provide a basis from which the analysis can be seen to pro ceed. Mahon campaigned strenuously for the involvement and participation of women at all levels within the INTO. Her campaign continues to have a resonance today especially at the higher levels of the Organisation where, apart from the Equality Committee, women are very much under repre- IV INTRODUCTION omen teachers, individually and collectively, have been instru mental in shaping the policy and direction of the INTO. Their W contributions to the development of the Organisation have, as yet, received little attention. Where there has been historical investigation it has emphasised the INTO's work for women rather than the benefits to the INTO of women's membership. In One Hundred Years of Progress; The Story of the INTO 1868 - 1968 T. J. O'Connell observed a marked "awakening of a new and more healthy spirit" among the rank and file of the INTO during the first twenty years of the century. O'Connell did not, however, acknowl edge the role of women teachers in this development. He fleetingly men tioned Catherine Mahon's "brilliant" leadership in 1913 but he did not assess her achievements although he described, in some detail, Mahon's dis agreement with INTO policy in 1920. Catherine Mahon, an idealist, was a principled, courageous fighter who was ready to take issue wherever she saw injustice, often at considerable cost to herself. She was a spirited public speaker, an effective, energetic lob byist who won the respect and admiration of her contemporaries. She was a keen nationalist and a lifelong supporter of the Irish language. Her pas sionate concern for a wide range of issues, as well as her sense of humour, are evident in the letters and speeches she wrote from her base in the small village of Carrig, North Tipperary. She is affectionately remembered by her nephew as a kind, gentle woman who was a support to his family when his father, a teacher, had to retire early due to illness and the family had to move from the teacher's residence. Mahon's own teaching career, if we include her time as a monitor, spanned fifty years. It is clear that Mahon was active in a multitude of organisations but this study is mainly confined to her INTO career. It does not explore the links between changes in Irish society and developments within the INTO. A good deal of relevant quotation from The Irish School Weekly has been incor porated to help provide a basis from which the analysis can be seen to pro ceed. Mahon campaigned strenuously for the involvement and participation of women at all levels within the INTO. Her campaign continues to have a resonance today especially at the higher levels of the Organisation where, apart from the Equality Committee, women are very much under repre- IV sented on the national committees. Identifying the dedicated service Mahon • gave in promoting the interests of teachers may serve to inspire a new gen- eration of teachers to commit themselves to the work of the INTO. , I \ l t I. I { I, { j 1 v Catherine Mahon. Courtesy of Anthony Dargan. Vl CHAPTER 1 Early Years INIFRED O'MEARA was runeteen when her first child Catherine was bom on 15 May 1869 in Laccah, North Tipperary. Winifred had Wmarried Jarnes Mahon, eighteen years her senior, in July the pre vious year.' She at one time worked as a shopkeeper and Jarnes, according to Catherine's birth certificate, was a labourer.' He had lived through the famine which had a severe impact in that part of Tipperary.